‘ENERGY CRISIS IN INDIA
Energy crisis and finding a viable solution for it constitutes an important contemporary debate in India today. The energy crisis has a great bearing on all socio-economic development of a country and its sovereignty. The indo-us nuclear deal, trans-country pipelines and aggressive policy of securing petroleum fields in different parts of the world can be seen in the light of the energy crisis.
 India is not the stand-alone case facing an energy crisis. The world, on the whole, is facing an energy crisis. Energy-intense economies of the developed world coupled with increasing demand from rapidly developing countries such as India, China, Brazil is responsible for a huge increase in demand. Plateauing of petroleum productions in traditional oil producing countries such as Saudi Arabia along with political instabilities in countries like Iraq, Iran and Nigeria have led to a scenario where demand outstrips the supply.
In India, there is a number of factors which led to the situation of the energy crisis. There has been a sharp rise in the consumption of energy in India since the last decade of the 20th century. The year 1991 unleashed the forces of liberalization, privatization, and the globalization in the Indian economy. The resultant growth of the manufacturing sector and the accompanying rise in energy-intensive consumption patterns and lifestyles has been a major reason for the increase in energy demand. The Co-relation of energy and economy is well-known and the fact a country needs to be energy secured to sustain high growth rates of the economy is well-established fact.
 A wide range of energy resources is being harnessed by India. These include renewable, non-renewable, traditional and nuclear resources. Renewable resources include hydroelectricity, solar energy, geothermal energy, tidal energy etc. These resources have failed to fill the gap of demand and supply of energy due to a variety of reasons. Hydroelectricity is a cheap source of energy but is inflexible in terms of location. There are many social and environmental concerns such as displacement of tribals, submergence of forests are associated with hydroelectricity. Other renewable energy resources such as solar power, geothermal, tidal power are in a nascent stage of development and are commercially unviable.
 Non-renewable energy forms a major chunk of total energy resources of the country. Coal, oil or gas-fired power stations produce electricity. Petroleum derivatives are used in the transportation sector. Problem with non-renewable energy is that India has to import a major portion of petroleum products as it is not naturally endowed with them in sufficient quantum. Soaring international prices of crude oil entail heavy outflow of foreign exchange and there is omnipresence of energy insecurity in the event of a disruption in supply.
 Traditional energy resources like firewood, dried cow dung cake, and charcoal are being used in rural India. Such usage of traditional energy resources is inefficient and cause make life miserable for women. To achieve cent per cent rural electrification as envisaged by National Programmed for Rural Electrification, availability of ample energy is a must.
 Nuclear energy is being offered as a panacea for the energy crisis being faced by India. Nuclear energy is location independent source of energy i.e. a nuclear reactor can be set in any locality to supply electricity. Further nuclear fuel is cheaper than petroleum. India has gained considerable expertise in the development and harnessing of nuclear energy. India’s nuclear program is a three-stage programme which encompasses the use of vast thorium reserves in the country. Nuclear energy is seen to be capable of bridging the gap between the demand and supply of energy in India.
 Of late, the nuclear energy program faced the problem of non-availability of natural Uranium for a rapid expansion of nuclear energy in the country. Natural Uranium occurs in small quantities in India and India cannot import Natural Uranium from outside as it is not a signatory to NPT and as a consequence NSG refuse to export any nuclear energy-related material and technologies to India.
 The indo-us nuclear deal should be seen in light of the projected benefits of nuclear energy. July 18 deal envisages that US will co-operate with India for the development of civilian nuclear technology and use its good offices to ensure NSG rules are modified in a way so that India would be able to receive natural uranium as well as advanced nuclear technologies for civilian use. The deal, in turn, obliges India to demarcate its civilian as well as a military establishment under IAEA regime.
There are many strategic and defensive aspect undercurrents of the nuclear deal. Questions have been raised in parliament regarding India compromising its sovereignty, independent foreign policy and about the reliability of the USA as a long term strategic partner. Scientists have alleged that the US has shifted the goal posts and is demanding more obligations from India than that were required by the July 18 deal.
Former honourable President Kalam has released a road map for achieving the energy security for the nation. He visualizes an important contribution by hydroelectric power and nuclear power for the attainment of energy security. He also gives emphasis on the conventional source as well as renewable sources of energy such as wind power for the energy security of the country.
 The Government of India has been pursuing other avenues also in order to achieve energy security. The government has entered into agreements with countries like Qatar for the supply of petrol net has been established for the purpose of import, storage and then marketing of LNG in India. Government is also actually looking into the feasibility of transnational gas pipelines such pipelines being proposed Iran-Pakistan-Indian pipelines and Myanmar- Bangladesh-India Pipeline. It proposes to form a grid of pipelines and also to rope in China so as to make such venture more secure and financially viable.
ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL) is actively investing in overseas petroleum fields by acquiring stakes, farming partnerships with different multinational consortiums to secure hydrocarbons for the country.
India has been given a membership to a group of countries involved research in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). This research is aimed at finding means to harness thermo-nuclear energy for peaceful purposes i.e. for the production of electricity. ITER is projected as a means that can provide unlimited energy using the principle of nuclear fusion.
 Whole India is actively trying to achieve energy security at various international levels. It is imperative that already energy infrastructure should be upgraded and made efficient. National grid system should be able to provide electricity generated out of hydel potential in the Himalayas to plains of India. And wind-powered electricity from coastal areas to interiors. In other words, the country should be capable of transporting energy from energy access regions to energy deficit regions of the country.
 There should be greater emphasis on renewable sources of energy. The government should provide funds for research and development of commercially viable methods of harnessing renewable sources of energy. India being a tropical country offers great potential for solar energy and total energy. The government should subsidise solar equipment as it had done for a solar cooker.
Decentralized HEPs and wind power are the commercially viable resources of renewable energy in India today. Small hydroelectric power project made built to satisfy the energy needs of surrounding villages offers a solution for the electrification of rural areas in mountainous regions. Wind power is already a major source of energy. States of Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Gujarat have taken lead in this sector. The government should encourage this private sector initiative by providing the required infrastructure at war footing. So that estimate potential can be harnessed. Private sector participation should be encouraged. National policy on Electricity now provides that private units can have their own captive power plants and can even sell the surplus electricity to interested buyers. The government needs to provide tax incentives such as rebate in various taxes in order to achieve active private sector participation in energy generation.
Ethanol and Biodiesel are the latest buzzwords in debates on the energy crisis in India. Ethanol is produced from sugarcane and is mixed with petrol. Countries such as Brazil and the USA are already using Ethanol on a large scale. Uses of Ethanol in large scale will invariably boost sugarcane fanning in the country. Biodiesel is obtained by processing oil obtained from various plant seeds. Jatropha is being promoted in vast wastelands of the country. Experts feel that the problem of huge oil import bill and the price uncertainty can be mitigated by cultivating biofuel crop on the over 60 million hectares of wasteland available in the country. Northern Railways is conducting an experiment of running a locomotive on Biodiesel. Even if a small percentage of Ethanol and Biodiesel is blended, immense savings on import bill can be affected.
The energy crisis in India can tackle the effective involvement of civil society. In India, civil society is inactive in the field of energy conservation, unlike the Western countries. Energy conservation is the key Civil society can lead the front by educating masses about the need to conserve energy. Energy conserved is energy earned.
